Lint filter for combination washer-dryer



Nov. 8, 1960 A. M. STONE 2,959,044

LINT FILTER FOR COMBINATION WASHER-DRYER Filed March 23, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 1 V-Z6 U I I8 RIM" RINSE SPIN FLUH DRAIN DRAIN DRAIN WASH Ipay Hc-r INVEN TOR. "22:3; AIDAN M. STONE:

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BY DRAIN rmln w P LOWER F'| 3 HIS ATTORNEY Nov. 8, 1960 I A. M. STONELINT FILTER FOR COMBINATION WASHER-DRYER Filed March 23, 1959 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

AIDAN M. $TONE H is ATTORNEY United States Patent LINT FILTER FORCOMBINATION WASHER-DRYER Aidan M. Stone, Louisville, Ky., assignor toGeneral Electric Company, a corporafion of New York Filed Mar. 23, 1959,Ser. No. 801,236

8 Claims. (Cl. 6812) This invention relates to laundry machines of thetype which provide a sequence including a washing operation and asubsequent drying operation, and more particularly to such machineswherein the drying-operation includes improved means of trapping lintevolved as a result of the tumbling of the clothes in a stream of warmair.

Domestic laundry machines of the type which firstwash and then dry theclothes, generally known as combination washer-dryers, usually fall intotwo categories insofar as the method of drying is concerned. In thefirst category a forced stream of warm air is circulated over theclothes, the air being heated prior to its entry into the basket; thisarrangement may provide for either a closed system or a system where theair is pulled into the machine, through the basket, and then expelledfrom the machine. In the second arrangement the system is always aclosed one, with the only air circulation being caused by the movementof the clothes and of the clothes container, that is, no specialarrangement is provided for forcing the air into, through and out of thebasket. While the first of these two systems generally provides a fasterdrying action than the second, it inherently creates the problem that asubstantial amount of lint is eventually carried out of the basket withthe air stream as a result of the forced stream of air contacting theclothes as they are tumbled. If the system is an entirely closed onewhere the same air is de-humidified and then reused, the lint may createa clogging problem or a problem of lint. Where the system is an open oneit is objectionable if large quantities of lint be carried out of theexhaust duct of the machine.

Consequently, in machines which provide a forced stream of warm air overthe clothes, some system for trapping and then disposing of the lint isnecessary. This problem has generally been met in the past by providinga lint trap consisting of a screen in the path of the air flow after ithas passed out of the clothes container so that a major part of the lintis caught on the screen. This in turn requires some means of disposingof the lint caught on the screen, and the only'solution which has so farbeen provided in commercial machines is manual cleaning of the screen atappropriate intervals, preferably after each drying operation. Whilethis is effective, it represents an additional demand on the operator,and it is highly desirable to provide some solution to the problemwherein the trapping of the lint and the subsequent disposal of the lintare effected automatically as an inherent part of the operation of themachine, without any attention from or additional operation by theoperator being required.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improvedconstruction in laundry machines, particularly combinationwasher-dryers, wherein lint evolved as a result of the use of a forcedstream of warm air over the clothes being tumbled in a clothes containeris separated from the air stream and disposed of by the machine withoutany attention fromnthe operator.

. A more specific object of the machine is to achieve ice the trappingof the lint in the air by means of a centrifugal extraction device.

A further specific object of the invention is to dispose of the lintthus trapped by suitable operation of the water supply and drain means,already required in the machine for the washing operation, to clean outthe lint caught in the trap subsequent to each drying operation as aninherent part of the operation of the combination machine.

In carrying out the invention in one form thereof, I provide acombination clothes washer-dryer which has the usual sequence includinga washing operation and a subsequent drying operation. The machine has aclothes container with drain means for removing water from the containerso that a suitable washing operation may be effected. In addition Iprovide duct means which has an inlet and an outlet both communicatingwith the container in spaced relation to each other. Air is circulatedthrough the duct means and the container by any suitable arrangementsuch as a blower, and suitable means are provided for heating the airprior to its entry into the container so that the air flowing throughthe container is warm so as to dry the clothes.

The duct means includes a substantially vertically positioned closedhollow trap member located downstream of the container air outlet andconnected to the outlet by first conduit means which causes the air toenter the trap at the upper portion thereof in a tangential manner so asto effect a swirling or cyclone movement of the air within the trap.This air movement centrifuges the lint out to the side wall of the trapso as to separate the lint from the main air flow. A second conduitextends down into the trap and has an open bottom end which ispositioned substantially coaxially with the trap member and slightlyabove the bottom thereof.

The water supply for the container is first caused to pass into the trapmember through a suitable inlet formed therein, and then out to theclothes container through a water outlet conduit leading from the trap.The water outlet conduit is formed so that at all times there isretained in the trap enough water to reach a level slightly below thebottom of the second air conduit. The lint centrifuged out of the airflow moves down the side wall of the trap and is then caught by thewater at the bottom of the trap.

Together with the components set forth above, I provide sequence controlmeans for controlling all of these components; during the washingoperation the control means causes suitable operation of the watersupply means and the drain means so as to provide a conventional washingoperation. During the drying operation the control means causesoperation of the drain means, of the air heating means, and of the aircirculating means so that a suitable drying operation is effected. Athird important function of the control means, according to myinvention, is to effect operation of the water supply means subsequentto each drying operation or intermittently during each drying operationbut prior to the next washing operation so that all the lint caughtduring the drying operation is flushed from the trap member prior to thenext use of the machine. Preferably, the drain means is operative at thesame time as the water supply means during the flushing operation sothat the lint and water thus removed from the trap is flushed down thedrain and so removed without any attention from the operator having beenrequired.

The subject matter which forms this invention is particularly pointedout and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of thisspecification. The invention itself, however, both as to organizationand method of opera tion together with further objects and advantagesmay best be understood by reference to the following description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a side elevational view of the improved machine of thisinvention, partially in section and with certain surfaces broken away toshow details;

Figure 2 is a rear view of the machine, with the rear panel removed toillustrate details; and

Figure 3 is a cam chart illustrating the control sequence provided bythe control apparatus of my improved combination washer-dryer.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, I' have shown a combinationwasher-dryer wherein the operating elements of the machine are includedwithin an outer cabinet structure including a front panel 1 and sidepanels 2 and 3. The panels. are supported ona base and toe boardassembly 4 and in turn support a top closure 5 provided with an integralbacksplash portion 6. Access to the interior of the machine is providedby a door 7 which may be mounted on panel 1 by concealed hinges andopened by suitable means such as latch control 8. The machine is soconstructed that when a load of soiled clothes is placed therein, itproceeds through a sequence of operations, first washing the clothes andthen drying them. In order to provide completely automatic and flexibleoperation of the machine, operating controls such as 9 are mounted onthe backsplash panel 6, and are connected tocontrol apparatus 10 securedwithin the backsplash panel. The particular form of the control provideddoes not form a part of the invention, and it will be understood thatany suitable control mechanism, conventionally the type with a timermotor driving one or more cams for programming the opening and closingof appropriate switches, may be provided.

As shown. in Figures 1 and 2, the machine is of the horizontal axis.type with the clothes basket or drum 11 mounted for rotation on agenerally horizontal axis within an outer enclosing tub structure 12.The basket as shown comprises a perforated cylindrical shell 13 which isclosed at its rear by means of a suitable wall 14 and which has asimilar front wall (not shown) generally provided with a suitableloading opening aligned with the door 7 so that clothes may beintroduced into the container 11 when the door is open. The basket isrotatably supported by a shaft 15 rotatably mounted within the rear wall16 of tub 12 which is also provided with an access opening 17 in thefront wall thereof aligned with the basket access opening and, door 7.Basket 11 and tub 12 thus form a container for the clothes during thetreatment thereof.

During machine operation, basket 11 is rotatably driven from an electricmotor 18. The drive from the motor to the basket includes a pulley 19which is secured to the motor shaft so as to rotate therewith, and overwhich passes a belt 20. Belt 20 drives an adjustable sheave assembly 21of the type which is well known for use in achieving variable outputspeeds from a constant input speed source. The adjustable sheaveassembly in turn operates belt 22 to cause rotation of pulleys 23 and24. The rotation of pulley 24 is passed on to a pulley 25, which isrigidly secured on basket shaft 15, through a belt 26. In this mannerthe motor 18 may be driven at a constant speed and, through theadjustable sheave assembly 21, the speed imparted to pulley 25 andbasket 11 may be varied so as to provide an appropriate range of speedsfor the basket. For instance, for tumbling purposes during the cleansingand rinsing operation, and also during the heat drying operation, aspeed of approximately 47 rpm. may be provided to a basket ofapproximately 26 inches in diameter, and a centrifuging speed of severalhundred r.p.m. may be provided to the basket for effecting centrifugalextraction of liquid from the clothes prior to a heat drying operationor removal of clothes from the container.

The operation of thevariable speed drive briefly described above doesnot form any part of the present invention and is set forth merely toprovide a substantially complete description of an operative machine. Acomplete and detailed description of such a drive is provided, forinstance, in application Serial No. 731,362, filed on April 28, 1958, byJohn Bochan and assigned to the General Electric Company, assignee of.the present invention.

The means whereby water is supplied to and discharged from tub 12 duringoperation of the machine includes connections 27 and 28 through whichhot and cold water is supplied to the machine for the washing operation.A valve controlled. by a, solenoid 29 admits hot water to the machineand valve controlled by an opposed solenoid 30 admits cold water to themachine. The hot and cold water valves under the control of thesolenoids 29 and 3t) discharge through a common outlet conduit 31,through a, suitable. air gap, and into a funnel 32 which leads to aconduit 33. Conduit 33. has an. outlet 34 which enters the side wall341: of a, vertically positioned trap member 35 approximately at the.mid-portion thereof and substantially tangentially thereto. Trap member35 may preferably. as shown, he in. the form of an inverted frustrum ofa cone. Adjacent. the bottom 36 of trap member 35 an outlet conduit 37communicates with the trap member, also preferably tangentially, butjoining the trap member removed from the position which would berequired to receive a stream of water spiraling down the wall of. trapmember 35 from outlet 34, through opening 38. At its other end 39conduit 37 is connected to the interior of tub 12. Conduit 37 is formedwith a. slight rise 40 therein so that the lowest portion 41 of the risedetermines the level 42 of the water which will be retained in the trapmember 35. It will be understood that, once rise 40 is providedinconduit 37, it may communicate with tub 12 at any suitable point. For.instance, it could be made to communicate with the tub at the bottomthereof, i.e.,. at the sump 45, in the manner that wash water issupplied to the tub in the machine now produced commercially by theassignee of this invention.

In this manner the water flows from the valve morn bers through conduit31 and conduit 33, through the trap member 35 in a, swirling motion, andthen out through conduit 37 into tub 12. Upon entering the tub 12, thewater, then flows down the side of the tub to fill the tub. A pressureactuated sensing device or water level control 42 controls bothsolenoids 29 and 30 to provide' the proper water level in the machineduring the washing operation. Sensing-device 42 is connected to theinterior of the tub 12 by a suitable line 43 which conmeets with the tubalmost at the bottom thereof at 44 as shown.

Water in the tub is discharged from the machine at appropriate timesthrough the sump 45 mounted at the bottom of the, tub. A suitabledischarge hose 46 leads from. the; sump to a pump 47 which may, as shownin Figure l, be driven, directly from motor 18 and which discharges,through, a conduit 48 to a drain valve 49 controlledby a solenoid 50.When, solenoid 50 is ener gized it pulls down a lever. member 51 pivotedat point 52 to closethe valve. When solenoid 50 is de-energized valve49: is opened. permitting the continually operating pump 47 to passliquid through conduit 48 and valve 49 to a drain conduitv53.

The illustrated machineis-of the type which uses an open forced airsystem during the drying cycle for drying the clothes. Specifically, anoutlet 54 is provided at the top of tub.12-' which leads to an aircirculating device in the form of blower member 55; the blower receivesthe air from the outlet 54 and forces it through a conduit 56 whichterminates: in an inlet 57 entering trap member 35 tangentially adjacentto the top portion 58 thereof so as to cause the air passing from blower55 to swirl aroundthe sidewalls of trap 35 in a swirling or cyclone typeof action. A conduit 59 enters traps 35 through the top portion 58thereof and extends downwardly so as to terminate in an open bottomportion 60 which is positioned substantially coaxially with thegenerally vertical trap 35; conduit 59 constitutes an outlet for the airwhich enters the trap from the conduit 56. Conduit 59, after leaving thetrap, then extends generally horizontally to the rear of the machine andcommunicates with atmosphere as shown at 61. e

An air inlet 62 to the tub, in which are provided sheathed electricallyinsulated heating elements 63, is connected by a conduit 64 to alouvered opening 65 in front panel 1. Opening 65 is located,substantially higher than the maximum liquid level possible in themachine. Energization of the heating elements 63 causes air enteringthrough opening 65 to be heated prior to its entry into the tub 12 andbasket 11. It will thus be seen that conduit 64, conduit 59 and trap 35form duct means for causing a flow of warm air to be drawn from inlet 62through the perforations in basket 11 so as to contact the tumblingclothes therein; the air is then pulled by blower 55 out of the basket,through outlet 54, and sent through conduit 56 to trap 35.

Referring now particularly to Figure 3, the operation of the improvedcombination washer-dryer of my invention will be described. It is to beunderstood that Figure 3 is in effect a development of the peripheriesof the Operating means (not otherwise shown) of the control mechanism asprovided in combination with suitable control circuit means of theconventional type. The heavy lines show the cam'rises, when the devicescontrolled by the cams are caused to operate.

Let it be assumed for the purposes of explanation that the control knob9 is set to provide a standard washing and drying operation wherein itis intended that hot water he provided for the washer, and that a dryingoperation follow the washing operation. To initiate the action, thecontrol is manually advanced to a position just beyond the on line inFigure 3. As the selected cycle is started, it can be seen that the hotwater supply, the timer (not otherwise shown) and the drain valve areenergized. This energizes the solenoid 29 to open its associated valveand permit hot water to flow into the tub 11 through the conduit 31,funnel 32, conduit 33, trap 35, and conduit 37 so as to fill the tub toan appropriate level. When an appropriate amount of Water has beenprovided, pressure sensitive switch 42 causes the flow to stop and thewashing action is then provided by the continued tumbling of basket 11which, by causing motor 18 to operate coextensively with the timer, isrotated during the entire operation from start to finish.

At the end of a predetermined amount of washing time, as determined bythe timer, the drain valve is de-energized long enough to permit thepump to drain the water out of the tub 11. Clean water (preferably cold)is then introduced to provide a first rinsing action which continues fora predetermined amount of time, and then the drain valve is againde-energized to drain off the rinse water.

It will be observed at this point that each time water is introducedinto the tub through trap 35 it causes the water to swirl around thetrap, thereby providing a cleansing action, and that the shape of outletconduit 37 causes water to remain in the trap to level 42.

Rinse water which may, as shown, he provided warm by energizing both thehot and cold valve solenoids may then be provided for a second rinse andthen, at the end of this last rinse, the drain valve is againde-energizcd to drain the water out of the machine. Then the appropriatecontrol mechanism (not otherwise shown) is energized to cause the speedtransmission to provide a high speed rotation of the basket to cause acentrifugal liquid extraction operation. Efiective removal of liquid bythe pump by de-energization of the drain valve is normally 6 continuedduring the spin operation to remove the water collected in the sump fromthe centrifugal extraction.

At the end of the spin an appropriate drying cycle is commenced with theheater and the air circulating means being in operation. This actioncauses air to be drawn through conduit 64 into the container, afterbeing heated by heater 63, and then to be forced by the blower from thecontainer to the trap 35. In the trap the air swirls around the wall ofthe trap thereby effecting a centrifuging action on the lint picked upfrom the clothes by the air'so that the lint travels to the outside andpasses down the walls of the trap into the water at the bottom of thetrap. The air continues to swirl around until it reaches the bottom ofthe trap at which time it passes through outlet 60 into conduit 59. Atthis point, substantially all the lint has been removed from the air andis held in the water at the bottom of the trap. The air then passes outthrough conduit 59 to the exterior of the machine.

This drying action continues for a suitable period, as shown in Figure3, with the lint continually being caught in the trap and collected bythe water at the bottom of the trap. At the end of the drying operation,the heater shuts 01f, but the clothes continue to tumble in the basketwith the blower continuing to operate in order to effect a cooling ofthe clothes prior to their removal. At the end of the cooling period theblower shuts off.

According to my improved construction, either the hot water solenoid,the cold water solenoid, or both, are then energized to provide asubstantial amount of flow through conduit 33into the trap 35. This flowof water will, as has previously been described, cause the water alreadyin the trap to be flushed out through conduit 37 and flow down the sidewall of tub 12 into sump 45. In this manner all the lint collected intrap 35 during the drying operation is flushed down into the sump 45.Provided, as is deemed preferable, the pump also becomes effective toremove liquid at this time due to the deenergization of the drain valvesolenoid 50, this linty water is then drained out of the machine so thatthe lint is completely disposed of. It will be recognized that the pointof importance is that one or the other or both of the solenoids 29 and30 be energized subsequent to the drying operation but prior to the nextwashing operation so that the linty water is removed before the start ofeach washing operation. Thus, while in the preferred construction thisoccurs at the very end of a cycle, it is conceivable that it might alsobe provided at other times, such as at the very beginning of the nextcycle or intermittently during the dry cycle so as to avoid large lumpsof lint being flushed out at any one time.

While in accordance with the patent statutes I have described what atpresent is considered to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, itwill be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes andmodifications may be made therein without departing from the invention,and I therefore aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes andmodifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

l. A combination clothes washer-dryer having a sequence including awashing operation and a subsequent drying operation comprising a clothescontainer; drain means for said container; duct means having an inletand an outlet communicating with said container in spaced relation toeach other; means for circulating air through said duct means and saidcontainer; means for heating air prior to its entry into said container;said duct means including a substantially vertically positioned closedhollow trap member downstream of said outlet; said duct means includingfirst conduit means connecting said outlet to the upper portion of saidtrap member, and second conduit means extending down into said trapmember and having an open bottom and terminating substantially coaxiallywith said trap member and in spaced relation to means, said drain means,said air heating means and said air circulating means, said controlmeans effecting operation of said water supply means and said drainmeans during said washing operation, said control means effectingoperation of said air heating means and said air circulating meansduring said drying operation, said control means further effectingoperation of said water supply means subsequent to at least a part ofthe drying operation and prior to the next washing operation.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein, said control means eifectsoperation of said drain means at the same time as said water supplymeans subsequent to at least a part of the drying operation and prior tothe next washing operation.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said first conduit meanscommunicates substantially tangentially with said trap member.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said second conduit meansextends vertically down into said trap member and is positionedsubstantially coaxially with said trap member therewithin.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said water supply meansinlet to said trap member is formed. substantially tangentially to theside wall of said trap member.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said first conduit means,said water supply means inlet to said trap,

connecting said inletand said outlet to atmosphere; means,

for circulating air through said duct means and said container; meansadjacent said inlet conduit for heating air prior to its entry into saidcontainer; said duct means further including a substantially verticallypositioned closed hollow trap member in said outlet conduit meansdownstream ofsaid outlet; said outlet conduit means including a firstconduit connecting said outlet to the upper portion of said trap member,said first conduit communicating substantially tangentially with saidtrap member; said outlet conduit means including a second conduitextending down'into'said trap member and having an open bottom endterminating substantially coaxially with said trap member and in spacedrelation to the bottom thereof,

said second conduit means having its other end communicating withatmosphere; water supply means having an inlet to said trap member; awater outlet conduit communicating with said trap member adjacent thebottomthereof, the bottom of said trap member being positioned above thebottom of said container; said' water outlet trol means efiectingoperation ofsaid air heating means and said air circulating means duringsaid drying operation, said control means eifecting operation of saidwater supply means and said drain means subsequent to at least a part ofthe drying operation and prior to the next washing operation;

' 8. The-apparatus defined in claim 1 wherein both said water supplymeans and said drain means are operated by said control means subsequentto the drying operation" in the same sequence therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,530,073 Cutter Mar. 17, 1925' 1,637,166 Ullin July 26, 1927' 2,758,461Tann Aug. 14, 1956'

